John Betts (1803?-89) was a ‘bookseller, publisher, producer of games and puzzles, globemaker and stationer’ (Worms & Baynton-Williams). Both the British Library and Worms & Baynton-Williams assign the date of 1846 to this map without clear indication as to why. According to the paper title affixed the map was offered in four formats; on cloth in a case as here for 7s. 0d. It was also offered ‘On canvas, black ledge and roller’, ‘Ditto, varnished’ and ‘Mahogony ledge & roller, varnished’. Two types of railroad are keyed, those completed in black and those ‘in progress’ in red. Provenance: manuscript ownership on paper title affixed to endpaper ‘Revd. Ch. Forster Brighton March 20th 1851’; William Duck catalogue 1997; private collection of Rodney Shirley.